Becker Capital Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Lamb Weston $LW

Becker Capital Management Inc. lowered its holdings in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) by 11.9% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 91,375 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 12,351 shares during the period. Becker Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $4,738,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LW. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 64.2% in the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 537 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional raised its position in Lamb Weston by 28.7% in the second quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,165 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 14.5% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,138 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $111,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares during the last quarter. First National Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. First National Advisers LLC now owns 49,756 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,580,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 40.1% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,195 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the period. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Cfra Research upgraded Lamb Weston to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Lamb Weston in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $57.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on Lamb Weston from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Lamb Weston from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.70.

Lamb Weston Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE LW opened at $59.00 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $56.99. Lamb Weston has a 52 week low of $47.87 and a 52 week high of $83.98. The company has a market cap of $8.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 4.56% and a return on equity of 28.08%. Research analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st were issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.81%.

About Lamb Weston

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc produces, distributes, and markets frozen potato products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Global, Foodservice, Retail, and Other. It offers frozen potatoes, commercial ingredients, and appetizers under the Lamb Weston brand, as well as under various customer labels.